Sea Life Aquarium at Arizona Mills is giving kids and adults a sneak peek into the life of a sea creature with no brain and no heart — jellyfish.

On Sunday, the popular PBS restaurant review show, “Check, Please! Arizona,” hosts its first food festival at CityScape in Phoenix. While attendees enjoy a plethora of food and wine samples and live demonstrations from award-winning chefs like Robert McGrath and Chris Bianco, one humble festival booth — Pittsburgh Willy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs — takes the next step in its Cinderella story.

The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Study for the South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway will be released today and available for review and comment over the next 90 days.

"Mud" has the feel of a classic, although it's perhaps not enthralling enough to be one. The third and most elaborate feature to date from writer-director Jeff Nichols seems to have been adapted from a novel that doesn't exist -- something by James Lee Burke, perhaps, or Cormac McCarthy, or some other specialist in frequently violent tales about the challenges to masculinity and the forging of new identities that face rural people who belong to a sprawling modern world -- who might be hanging out in a supermarket parking lot one moment and falling into a creek full of deadly cottonmouths the next.

Local chefs featured on the Eight, Arizona PBS show “Check, Please! Arizona” gather at the inaugural Check, Please! Arizona Festival, where fans and foodies can sample some of the Valley’s best restaurant fare and audition for upcoming episodes of the show. Cuisine from at least 36 of the independent restaurants – from five-star dining establishments to tucked-away cafes – previously featured on the show will be offered.  Among event highlights are cooking demonstrations, panel discussions and the chance to audition in front of cameras.

I would like to respond to a recent guest column, “SRP needs to provide vision and advance energy efficiency,” which appeared in this newspaper (March 29). The author makes inaccurate assertions regarding the ability of customers and stakeholders to provide meaningful input to SRP’s resource plan and more generally questions our commitment to sustainable resources.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business is the proud host of Red, White and Beautiful and this year it is booming! Red, White and Beautiful is a unique girls’ night out of pampering and shopping just in time for Mother’s Day. Red, White and Beautiful began in June of 2010 as a fundraiser to support the community Red, White and Boom fireworks.

The number of children being taken into Child Protective Services’ custody continues to escalate each year in Arizona, but the minors are not the only concern. After age 18, college-bound individuals who were essentially raised in the system still need the support — like any young adult — to have a successful future.

At a recent fundraiser in San Francisco, President Obama demonstrated his command of the great issues facing our country.

Erin Andrews-Sharer, a graduate of Desert Vista High School and a sophomore at The College of Wooster, received the Elias Compton Freshman Prize and the Lyman C. Knight, Sr., Prize in mathematics and physical education at Wooster’s 43rd Annual Recognition Banquet.

Weekends are made for moving a little slower, taking time to enjoy oneself and reconnect with whatever’s been put on the back burner during a hectic work week.

The United States has seen a deluge of much-needed attention to the issue of bullying in the last decade. Horrific examples of young people harassing and abusing their peers — sometimes to the point that the victims commit suicide — have forced parents and educators to begin thinking about the issue and to initiate or expand bully prevention efforts. What is often missed in these discussions, however, is the problem of adults who bully young people.

Most people know what it’s like to pull up a chair at a family reunion or holiday meal, but not many have tucked their toes under the table at a community harvest feast. Several local art and community organizations are hoping to change that with Saturday’s “Feast on the Street” in downtown Phoenix.

In our wi-fi world of planes, trains and automobiles, travel is taken for granted; in days gone by, it was considered a prerequisite for a well-rounded education. It not only broadened the mind, but also deepened one’s experience and knowledge of the world. That vintage wisdom holds true today, making events like the Gilbert Global Village Festival on Saturday a red-letter day.

Childsplay demonstrates the importance of manners in this quirky kitchen comedy about rival master chefs and the young apprentice stuck between them.

Wander the scenic Scottsdale Civic Center Mall while nibbling on treats from more than 50 local eateries, enjoying live entertainment or watching cooking demonstrations from the Valley’s best chefs. You can also browse the Epicurean Expo, experience the Tiki Hideaway or become an educated cocktail drinker at “Cocktail Culture.” All-inclusive VIP passes are available. A portion of the proceeds go toward Arizona arts and education.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself sitting near a horse the next time you dine out.

Desert Rivers Audubon, which hosts monthly nature programs for families in Gilbert and Chandler, will give outdoors enthusiasts a primer on using smart phones to connect with nature.

Spring has sprung, and with flowers blooming all around the Valley, Phoenix Art Museum is getting in on the floral action.

Students from the Sacred Heart School in Tullamore, Ireland, visited the Seton Catholic Preparatory campus and showcased traditional Irish sports and music. Seton Catholic Prep’s relationship with the Sacred Heart is through the Chandler-Tullamore Sister Cities program.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Phoenix Fire Department are already working to get kids ready for summer with reminders about staying safe around water.

No public figure has clearly articulated the true lesson from the 10th anniversary of the disastrous Iraq War. That lesson is a matter of logic. In weighing the war’s costs and benefits, we reversed the burden of proof. The war’s proponents should have been presumed guilty until proven innocent. Instead, the Bush Administration reversed that proper criterion, generally supported by the national press in placing the burden on skeptics.